


ever fallen in love (with someone you shouldn’t've?)

by musichoe01



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn? idk, although i’m really not, bisexual rights, but it’s an aesthetic, heavy mtv, if this is trash i’m sorry, i’m allergic to capitalization and proper punctuation, like its a obsession for these girls, lots of music references, record store, robin is a dummy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musichoe01/pseuds/musichoe01
Summary: hawkins local record store got mtv, so this past month during her semester break, robin has gone from casually watching random music videos as she pretended to shop, to now sneaking beer in after hours to hang out with her very cute new friend (and record store employee extrodinare) becca. a girl she's been in band with for forever, but has never really talked to until now. their fast friendship had become the only thing keeping robin sane outside of steve during her last months of school.but of course robins gay ass had to ruin it with her goddamn feelings.(sorry im trash at summaries)





	1. video killed the radio star

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic, so if it’s garbage i’m sorry. also it’s about a band nerd who’s obsessed with music and wants to be edgy so i’m probably projecting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> story title is the buzzcocks off love bites (1978)
> 
> chapter title is the buggles song which fittingly, was the first song mtv ever played

sunday evening robin walked into the record store like she had done almost every day for the past month. 

since hawkins audio had gotten an mtv subscription, she had started making frequent trips to watch music videos for however long she could. 

robins family didn’t have cable, and besides, her mother was essentially indiana’s own tipper gore, and when the washington wives lost their shit over prince singing about female masturbation, the very mention of any sort of “edgy” music to the buckley’s had become synonymous with satanism, and was not to be allowed in their good christian household. 

so, understandably, the moment robin found out the store started playing music videos all day, she was there. 

after school, after work, even on her free days, robin would find herself walking into hawkins audio, ready to be ~cultured~ by the glorious nonsense that was mtv. 

and yeah, she probably could have just gone to steve’s house and leeched off of his cable subscription (the dingus was rich as hell and had, like, all the channels), but the record store had... other contributing factors.  
cute contributing factors. 

enter becca richards. 

she had been working at hawkins audio since the summer, but robin had known her since middle school.  
becca was a year below her, and before recently, robin had never given much thought to the younger girl. they had known each other well enough at school- they were both in marching band, and robin had always thought she was cute, but it wasn’t until recently that robin realized just how cute. and funny. and smart. and amazing. and-

“well, well, well, look who it is, robin buckley. coming in here to steal my cable once again???” becca greeted her with a smirk and her signature affectionate snarkiness. 

jesus fucking christ

robins heart stopped as she took in her look for the day. becca was shorter than robin, with her bleach blonde hair pulled into messy braids, and she was wearing worn black high tops, ripped high waisted jeans with a yellow talking heads t shirt, and a black choker- which was fitting, because robin nearly choked every time she saw her. 

but now was not the time for her to get lost in the looks of her friend, so she composed herself as best she could. 

“i’m your favorite customer and you know it,” robin matched beccas sarcasm. 

there that sounds normal

becca chuckled and rolled her eyes, “well you’re just in time, they’re about to play once in a lifetime” 

“FUCK YES,” robin jumped up on the counter next to becca, “david byrne could kill my entire family and i’d still ask him to sign my talking heads album” 

the fact that robin and becca had basically the same taste in music was what led to the record store employee giving robin the invitation to stop by the store late in the day and watch mtv with her. 

the majority of people in hawkins had trash music taste, and listened to either journey and foreigner, or, much to becca’s annoyance, country music. becca told robin that as long as she kept buying good albums and cassettes (and occasionally let her rent a free movie from family video), she was allowed to keep watching tv at the store. 

and robin most certainly did.  
she found herself buying every single paul simon, velvet underground, and blondie album ever made per becca’s suggestion (it was obvious the blonde girl idolized debbie harry, halfway through sophomore year she bleached her hair and cut it to look like the singer. apparently she “had a minor breakdown listening to rapture and needed a change.”), and per robins suggestion becca became moderately obsessed with the runaways and bob dylan. together they shared albums with each other and made fun of the bad music mtv would play early in the day. 

becca shook her head and laughed, a sound that made robin feel like she could conquer the world, as she walked over to turn up the tv and change the sign on the door to “closed”. 

“there,” she said, walking back over to robin and jumping up on the counter, “now no incels will interrupt our entertainment to ask me if we have fucking merle haggard albums” 

as robin turned to look at becca and laugh, she couldn’t help but notice how close they were sitting, shoulder to shoulder.  
becca’s feet were hitting her leg as she swung them along to the beat of the talking heads song. she looked at robin, catching her lingering eyes and grinning at her. their faces were inches apart. all robin wanted to do in that moment was kiss her.  
but no.

stop it robin,  
she thought to herself, as she tore her eyes away from the lovely girl next to her to look at the tv. 

in this past month during the semester break, robin went from casually watching random music videos as she pretended to shop, hoping that no one would catch her loitering, to now sneaking beer into the store after hours on weekends so her and becca could get mildly drunk while watching cartoon blocks play the guitar part to dire straits money for nothing. their fast friendship had become the only thing keeping robin sane outside of steve. 

but of course robins gay ass had to ruin it with her goddamn feelings. 

all she could do was push down her emotions and anxiety of being in such close proximity with the girl of her dreams, and try to enjoy watching music videos with her friend. 

her most-likely-no-matter-how-much-robin-hopes-her-love-of-joan-jett-means-she-could-be-a-bit-gay-but-straight friend. 

as the talking heads video ended, mtv vj and robins other crush martha quinn popped up on the screen. 

“after a short ad from today’s sponsor we’ll be showing Dancing in the Street with david bowie and mick jagger so stick around!!”

becca excitedly hit robin on the shoulder, “holy shit man have you seen this video?”

robin, pretending not to notice or freak out at becca’s hand gripping her shoulder, responded, “no not yet, is it good?” 

“it’s RAD, but it raises a lot of questions,” becca seemed to be insinuating something. 

she was intrigued, “what do you mean questions?”

“like, i feel like they might have fucked,” becca looked at her matter of factly. 

robin nearly spit out her beer. 

did she just say what i think she said? FUCK

repressing the millions of thoughts and possible meanings that becca’s comment about mick jagger and david bowie possibly having sex gave robin, she attempted to respond normally, and with as few voice cracks as possible,

“what makes you think that?”

“dunno. there just seems to be a lot of sexual tension between the two of them in the video.” she shrugged and pointed to the screen as it began to play, “watch and you tell me.”

robin did so. and becca was right. it seemed pretty fucking gay to her, but what was she supposed to say?

“i mean- i guess?”, robin weakly replied, hoping to insinuate that she didn’t really know that much about same sex attraction

lucky for robin, becca seemed to be taking the whole conversation very lightly. 

“okay, whatever” she said, moving closer to robin with each word.

“all i’m saying is that if two people are this close to each other,”  
she motioned between the two of them, who were almost nose to nose and staring at each other by now,  
“doing a shit ton of cocaine, and they’re dancing while making direct eye contact, there’s gotta be some spicy behind the scenes footage.” 

robin laughed, but was too paralyzed by the intimacy of the moment to notice becca’s eyes vaguely drift down to her lips and back up again. 

after staring at each other for a second too long, the blonde girl pulled away and turned her head back to the tv, then jumped off the counter. 

“anyway,” she suddenly seemed a bit nervous, not making eye contact with robin. 

what the hell was that? and was becca uncomfortable now? robin knew she would fuck something up eventually. 

“it’s uh- getting late and i gotta get home.”

robin jumped down off the counter and grabbed her stuff, “yeah, me too.”

as she walked over to the door to leave she turned to see becca closing the rest of the store, and robin felt a sudden urge of confidence 

“hey, so, you know how on the last saturday of the month mtv has the cutting edge and they show a bunch of really cool underground videos?”

becca perked up at this, “yeah- they play like actual good shit right? like new order and r.e.m and stuff?”

“yeah!” robin said excitedly, “uh- i know it’s on super late but are you cool with maybe sneaking in here to watch it?” 

“hell yeah i am!” becca agreed enthusiastically, all traces of the awkwardness of their previous interaction behind her

becca thought for a second, planning in her head already the evening, “alright, i can pick you up at 11 so you don’t get kidnapped on your bike, and then we can sneak in.”

“dingus i’m not going to get kidnapped, but sure,” robin rolled her eyes and pretended to be annoyed, but secretly she was elated that becca seemed so keen on hanging out with her. 

becca smirked at her, “well if your bird brain could pass a driving test, then it wouldn’t be an issue, and to repay me for driving you and letting you use this fine establishment to get tipsy and watch free cable, you’re legally required to buy snacks for the evening.” 

“deal.” robin agreed, smiling. 

as the two of them walked out the door of the record store, becca put her arm around robins shoulder, “it’s gonna be totally tubular”

she let go and walked to her car as robin got on her bike and rolled her eyes once again at the idiotic phrase, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of becca’s hand on her shoulder

so she just laughed, “you know i hate it when you say that dingus, you sound like a fucking valley girl.” 

becca fake glared at her and yelled from car, “see ya around bird brain!” as she drove away. 

shit, robin thought as she rode her bike home smiling, she had it bad. 

how is someone she would have only considered a peer a month ago now driving her absolutely crazy?  
but she had no chance. 

unless?  
that moment with dancing in the street.  
why would becca say that?

robin was probably just projecting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah i’m DEFINITELY projecting, but it’s fine
> 
> for context (and because i needed to flex my 80s knowledge that i have no other use for) here are my notes:
> 
> tipper gore was one of the washington wives, who took on congress because they were offended by explicit music and wanted it to be illegal (prince’s darling nikki was one of the main songs)
> 
> talking heads slaps and the once in a lifetime video goes really hard
> 
> becca pretends to be punk but she has a deep love for 60s and 70s soft rock that she only tells robin about
> 
> debbie harry is the coolest person to ever live this is a fact
> 
> joan jett is a gays only event
> 
> martha quinn was the hottest of the original vjs on mtv look it up
> 
> the music video for dancing in the street is one of the gayest videos mtv made, and that’s saying something. mick jagger and david bowie are rumored to have fucked at some point, i felt it was necessary to share
> 
> the cutting edge actually aired the last sunday of every month at 1 am but i changed it because who’s gonna stop me
> 
> also becca uses annoying slang as a joke but now it’s in her vocabulary


	2. and she was

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> robin is seriously considering dropping out of high school, but she may have a new reason to keep going ;))))
> 
> (chapter title from the title track of the talking heads 1985 album little creatures)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> round two bois!!  
ft robin losing her will to graduate and only getting enjoyment out of being in jazz band (not from personal experience at all)

it was the first monday back after winter break had ended and robin wanted to kill herself. 

was it really worth it to finish high school? she could drop out and make a career out of family video or something, maybe get an apartment with steve. 

it would be better than having to deal with the idiots in her grade and pointless graduation requirements she had to complete. 

but alas, robin was a pussy. and as much as she hated to admit it she was kind of a good girl when it came to school, she would show up on time, do her homework, practice her instrument, all that shit. 

but as she kept getting further and further into her senior year, it all started to seem more superfluous. band was really the only reason she kept going to school at this point, because jazz band started in the second semester, so at least she could get her anger out by aggressively playing count basie on the trombone. 

so reluctantly, robin got ready for school. she decided to wear a new order shirt she had bought the other day under her jacket, secretly hoping that she’d see becca in the halls and the blonde girl would notice it. 

by third period robin was considering dropping out for about the 20th time that day.  
mr. west, her english teacher, was trying to explain death of a salesman to the class.  
“wait”  
robin looked back to see jack stapelton, a local idiot, looking very confused.  
“why is his name happy, if he’s not happy?”  
west tried to explain, “it’s irony”  
“but he’s not happy.”

jesus fucking christ 

thankfully the bell rang, and robin booked it out of class to head to the band room.  
she walked in and grabbed her trombone from her locker when she heard someone yell,  
“bird brain! i didnt know you were in jazz band!”  
robin turned around quickly to see becca sitting on a stool with an electric bass on her lap, smiling at her. 

“uh, yeah since like freshman year.”

becca looked ecstatic at robins shocked expression and gave her a thumbs up, “hell yeah! this is gonna be super fun!” 

oh my god she plays bass that’s fucking hot. 

she had to know more

they didn’t have time to continue their chat, however, as the class started. their director had them playing dave brubecks take five, which was really fun, but the alto sax player who had the solo was absolute shit. 

robin looked over to becca every time he fucked up and they smirked at each other, her heart skipping a beat whenever they made eye contact. 

she was elated, as well as slightly surprised to get to spend an hour a day with becca. plus she could watch her play bass, fingers moving along the frets swiftly and nimbly. 

fuck, was she really getting horny in jazz band now? being around becca this much may be an issue. 

after class ended robin went over to talk to the blonde girl as she was packing her stuff up. 

“since when have you played bass?”

“since the director said he needed a bass player and i needed a class to fill my schedule. so like, a week,” becca said nonchalantly. 

she looked robin up and down and smiled as she put the cords away,

“nice new order shirt by the way, what goddess of taste got you into that band?”

feigning shock and ambivalence, as if robin hadn’t specifically picked out the shirt just for becca to notice it, she casually took the compliment. 

“i listened to new order way before we started hanging out, i’ll have you know.”

“suuuure,” 

becca was about to continue her thought, but before she could come up with a smart comment robin cut her off with a question that had been on her mind. 

“wait, how did you learn to play bass in a week?”

“i mean i play guitar already, so it’s basically the same,” the girl once again said as if it was the most simple thing in the world. 

ohmygodsheplaysguitarthatsdoublehotfuck

“oh shit really?” robin asked, trying to match the other girls chill exterior 

“yeah what kind of music obsessive would i be if i didnt?” becca shrugged, but looked pleased with how interested in her playing capabilities robin was. 

she was floored. how did becca keep getting more perfect?

“nice.” robin said awkwardly, processing too much information to string a proper thought together. 

becca smiled at robin and they kept eye contact for a bit too long until-

“hey becca, you still dating randy?”

the shitty alto player interrupted their moment. and did he just say what robin thought he said?  
suddenly she had a pit in her stomach and felt like the world had opened her up and swallowed her whole.

robins perfect girl had a boyfriend. 

she looked over at becca, hopefully masking her hurt heart with a feigned inquisitive look. 

“no,” becca said quickly, more to robin than to shitty alto player, “we broke up like, way before last semester even ended. keep up brandon.” 

“well then, would you maybe want to hang out sometime?” 

the pit in robins stomach grew larger than she ever thought possible as she anxiously awaited becca’s answer, jealously and protectiveness threatening to take over as she watched brandon’s greasy smirk focus itself on an obviously uncomfortable becca. 

“oh- uh, i’ve actually been really busy lately with work and school so-“ she tried to let the boy down easy, and the pit in robins stomach slightly subsided. 

“well maybe i could visit you at work? you work at the record store right?”

he really can’t read a social cue can he?

“yeah, but-“ becca desperately tried to cut him off, but he was too quick. 

“cool, then i can take you out after you close!”

jesus this boy was persistent. 

before becca could gently break it to brandon she wasn’t interested, robin lost it.

“dingus, she’s not interested. get a life and harass some other poor girl.” 

brandon finally acknowledged robin long enough to scowl at her

“you know buckley, maybe if you weren’t such a bitch guys would actually pay attention to you,” he gave robin a condescending look, as if the lack of a male gaze kept her up at night. 

it didn’t have the desired effect however, and robin retaliated right back at him,

“and maybe if you could play more than three notes on the sax girls wouldn’t think you’re an absolute shitface.” 

becca snorted at robins comeback, causing brandon to call them both very derogatory names and storm off. 

becca sighed and turned to robin,

“thanks for saving me back there, that kids a huge prick” 

“yeah,” robin scratched the back of her neck sheepishly, “he deserved it.”  
after a hesitant pause, robin continued, “i uh, didnt know you and randy davis were a thing.”

becca looked embarrassed as she explained herself to robin,

“yeah well, we dated for like two months at the end of the summer and broke up once i realized his only personality was his snare drum.”

robin understood. she had only had one conversation with randy in her life and he had referenced the fact he was on drum line at least four times. 

“what did you ever see in him anyway?”

becca reminisced with an annoyance at her past self, “eye candy. plus he liked zeppelin cause he wanted to be john bonham sans the drinking himself to death thing, and i guess i’m kinda instantly in love with anyone who likes cool music.”

as she said that she looked at robin with... something in her eyes. but it had to be nothing, they were talking about her ex boyfriend for christ sake. 

before robin could get too lost in becca’s eyes, the blonde girl cut off her thoughts,

“are you working tonight? i want to rent a movie but don’t feel like dealing with keith.”

“yeah! just me and steve.” 

“perfect, i’ll see you tonight then.”

and with that becca walked out of the band room and left robin feeling so many mixed thoughts and feelings she thought her brain might explode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoyed the band representation no one asked for 
> 
> notes:
> 
> robin is a new order stan i don’t make the rules she wants to seem cool and probably says she listened to them when they were joy division before ian curtis killed himself (this is a lie for her to seem more edgy than she is)
> 
> i had to read death of a salesman senior year and we watched a movie with young john malkovitch 10/10 suggest 
> 
> laughing at a shitty alto player not being able to play take five is my personal brand
> 
> also falling for a dummy who plays drums is also my brand and maybe i’m projecting in this a fuck ton and what about it


	3. if you were here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> robin tells steve about her becca dilemma while they’re at work, and the boy has some words for her. 
> 
> title is from the thompson twins and is on the soundtrack to john hughes’ sixteen candles.

“steve she had a boyfriend over the summer, i’m fucked!”

robin had her head in her hands at the counter of family video, trying to explain to steve the dire straits (lmao ;) of her becca situation. 

“i dont get what you’re complaining about, you said they broke up,” steve was distractedly stacking vhs tapes on the shelves. 

robin sighed, “yeah but dingus, she had a BOYfriend. and i’m obviously not a boy.”  
it was hopeless, and robin had decided sulk forever. no one could console her. 

steve stopped stacking to turn to robin and look at her like she was a dumbass. that was a first. 

“robin, just because she HAD a boyfriend doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a girlfriend.” he said it like it was the easiest concept in the world, and robin just looked at him in confusion. 

“trust me, i watched sally anderson get drunk and make out with kelly mills while she was dating andrew kaporski. some people just flow like that.”

robin was doubtful of the boys sudden plethora of knowledge “since when did you become the expert on sexual fluidity?” 

she liked to give steve a hard time about his dating advice, but truth be told she was extremely proud of the dingus and grateful for him becoming her #1 ally.

earnestly, steve responded,  
“well i saw this thing on tv about how david bowie is bisexual or whatever, which is liking both i think. so maybe that’s what becca is.”

“i know what bisexuality is dumbass,” she gave steve a look, “but it’s hawkins, and becca has given no indic-“

robin stopper herself as she remembered an interaction with the girl a few days prior. 

“wait, did you say bowie?”

steve nodded, “yeah, he’s like super down to clown with whoever.”

he said this casually while biting into an apple like it was nothing, and robins heart rate began to speed up. 

“becca mentioned that she thought bowie and mick jagger might be a thing the other night while were watching the video of the song they covered.”

steve looked at her expectantly and robin gave him the rundown of what happened. wide eyed, he spit his apple onto robin. 

“what the FUCK dingus!”

“that’s FLIRTING!”

robin rolled her eyes at steve as she disgustedly brushed apple bites off her shirt, refusing to acknowledge his idea. 

“no it’s not idiot she was just-“

her denial was cut off by the bell ringing and the door opening 

steve’s eyes lit up as he saw who was entering the store, “well look who it is, we were just talking about you!” 

becca looked surprised as the boy greeted her into the store, and robin internally cringed harder than she ever thought possible. 

“oh? what about?” becca looked between them expectantly. 

robin interjected before steve could embarrass her further

“i was just telling the dingus you’re in jazz band now so it’s more bearable.” she smiled at becca and then threw steve a pointed look so he knew to shut up. he took the cue and nodded in recognition towards becca. 

the shorter girl looked between them with her brows furrowed, skeptical of robin, “yeah,” she said hesitantly, “i make everything better,” however, instead of inquiring further, she became distracted by her main purpose of being in the store, “anyway, i’m here to see a girl about a movie”

robin smiled at her, relieved

“well we have plenty” 

“this is a very particular movie.”

“oh? i’m sure i can find it for you”

becca narrowed her eyes at the girl, smiled slightly, and said “sixteen candles”

robin burst out laughing 

“your ‘very particular movie’ is sixteen candles? that doesn’t seem very you” robin harassed her. she made it seem like she was looking for a deep cut, not a blockbuster. 

becca feigned offense as her mouth dropped open, “excuse me but i am allowed to enjoy a mainstream rom com once in a while. plus, john hughes is the spokesman for our generation.”

robin over exaggerated rolling her eyes as  
she handed becca the movie

steve, who had been watching the entire interaction unfold, decided to interject himself

“robin just pretends to be a pretentious movie snob, we watch john hughes movies all the time and she loves them, especially sixteen candles” he gave robin a look, and she instantly knew he was referencing the time that she had physically choked on her chinese food while watching the movie. it was the scene where molly ringwalds character was in the school bathroom wondering why she wasn’t as developed as the other girls, who were topless and showering. robin had not expected to see boobs during that movie, and steve thought her nearly spitting out her lo mein was hilarious. 

thankfully, becca just laughed ignorantly at his playful jab and joined in, “well look at that! i guess buckley’s a bit of a prep”

robin pretended to be annoyed that steve just outed her guilty pleasure, but she knew exactly what to say to becca,

“so maybe i do love john hughes movies, sue me, they’re fantastic. but i would like you to remember the day i came into the record store and you were blasting abba over the speaker system”

“hell yeah i was,” becca nodded enthusiastically, not giving robin the pleasure of embarrassing her, “abba grooves man!”  
she then laughed at robin, “keep trying with your comebacks though, bird brain, it’s cute.”

with that the blonde girl handed robin the money for the rental and walked out of the store. 

steve looked at robin incredulously 

“what dingus?”

“she’s so into you it hurts”

“oh my god she is nOT”

robin was not going to get her hopes up. becca was too perfect, and she didn’t think she could handle getting rejected by someone who’s friendship had become so important to her.  
yeah, maybe the younger girl was a bit flirty, but she was probably just being nice. and robin was just reading into it.  
steve was wrong. he had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> steve is not here for robins bi erasure
> 
> abba is gr8 and anyone who disagrees is wrong
> 
> also sixteen candles isn’t the best john hughes movie imo but the boob scene in it is very sudden and unexpected and robin probably had some feelings about it


	4. crimson and clover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> robin and becca grow closer, and have a late night meet up at the record store to watch a special on mtv. alcohol is drank, words are spoken, moderately spicy things happen. the moment no one but me has been waiting for finally arrives. 
> 
> title is joan jett’s cover of tommy james & the shondells crimson and clover from 1981

the rest of the week went by uneventfully for robin, as the semester was picking back up and she was working nights with steve. she hadn’t seen becca outside of school since she came into family video monday, and their interactions during jazz band had been sparse. 

if robin was being honest with herself, she missed the younger girl, she missed being around her laugh and smile and eyes and everything. 

oh she had it baaaad. 

the only thing getting the her though the week was knowing that she was going to see becca saturday night. 

however, as she reached saturday afternoon, robins anxiety had gotten the best of her. 

what if becca forgot? were their plans still on? 

she decided to stop by the record store on her way to work to check and make sure (and not at all because robin missed seeing her favorite blonde girl)

robin parked her bike and walked into the store, only to be thrust into chaos 

“get the hell out of my store you little shits!”  
becca was yelling at a group of kids who were crowded around the tv.  
after closer inspection robin realized it was the party. 

“we’re just watching the videos! why have it if you don’t want anyone to watch it!”  
mike was furiously defending himself as dustin, max, and lucas stood behind him, agreeing 

“because,” becca looked like she was going to murder the kids, “it’s for PAYING customers to enjoy while they Buy Things. you asswipes have been here for an hour and haven’t been looking at anything.”

she pointed to the door, “leave.”

dustin turned to point at robin who had snuck in unnoticed up until that point, and yelled at becca, “you let her in all the time to watch videos and she never buys anything! you even close the store early! it’s unfair treatment!”

becca’s mouth dropped open, speechless, as she looked over to robin. 

robin was very amused, she had never seen becca without a comeback before. 

“how- that’s-“

dustin looked smug, but the blonde girls eyes narrowed 

“that’s completely different henderson. see, i actually LIKE robin.  
you all on the other hand, aside from maybe red head (max looked relatively honored), have a garbage taste in music, so i need you out.” 

even though she didn’t mean it, robins heart still sped up when becca said she liked her. she imagined what would happen if becca told her that for real- how their eyes would meet and-

“robin! defend me to your kids,”  
becca looked over and snapped robin out of her trance. 

“oh- uh, yeah.”

robin needed a second for her brain to start functioning again. she looked over to the kids, ready to break their spirits. 

“becca and i have a deal. she lets me watch mtv here, i give her discounts at the store. it’s mutual.”  
dustin sent her a betrayed glare, as mike, lucas, and max looked on with annoyance. 

robin continued to add to her point,  
“plus i know for a FACT the wheelers have cable so you guys being here is textbook loitering. becca could have you all arrested.” 

the blonde girl had walked over to robin as soon as she finished talking and high fived her, then looked to the kids, “exactly. scram before i lock you up.”

mike flicked the two older girls off as the group walked out of the store upset. 

becca giggled and walked over behind the counter, “finally, thanks for you help with that.”

robin smiled, “‘course”

the two looked each other for a bit, before becca spoke up, “it’s been a while, what brings you in?”

“oh-“ robin got nervous again, maybe she really had forgot. 

“i mean, you’re coming by tonight right, can you not wait that long to see me?”  
becca smirked at her, and robin was instantly relieved, she remembered. 

“no, nothing that lame, you just need my address to pick me up tonight. i feel like you think i live at family video.”  
robin picked up a piece of paper and wrote down her address and handed it to becca, who accepted it with an eye roll. 

“i know you don’t live there bird brain, with your salary you could never afford that square footage.”

they both laughed as robin waved goodbye to the girl. before she could get through the door, however, becca called to her nervously 

“hey, by the way, i uh- i made this for you,”

robin walked back over to the counter as becca hesitantly held out a cassette tape. 

“we’ve been kinda dead this week, and i figured instead of just mentioning to you in passing, i might as well make you a mix of stuff that reminds me of you or whatever.”

robin gingerly took the cassette from becca, who was looking anywhere else but her. she couldn’t contain her excitement at the thought of this amazing girl making a mixtape for her. 

this couldn’t be? no- friends make each other mixtapes all the time, plus it’s part of becca’s job, she probably gives them to everyone she meets. calm down. 

the blonde rubbed her neck, “anyway, you’ve probably heard most of it but, if you hate it i can alway-“

“no!” robin cut her off quickly with smile  
“thank you, this is awesome, i’ll listen to it at work.”

becca finally looked at her and smiled right back, “rad... i’ll pick you up at 11 ok, bring snacks please!”

robin nodded in reassurance as she walked out of the store. she pulled her walkman out of her backpack and sat down on her bike. 

opening the cassette case she saw becca had written “bird brain” on it in silver sharpie.  
robin laughed as she popped the mixtape in and started on her way to the video store as the first song started playing. 

by the time robin had gotten to work she was three songs into becca’s mix, and as she walked into the family video she collapsed onto the ground, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling. 

she needed to process what she had heard so far. 

steve came and stood over her, “what the hell are you doing?”

robin looked up at him, “becca made me a mixtape, ive been listening to it on the way here.”

steve’s eyes lit up and he sat down on the ground next to robin as she pulled herself up to be level with him. 

“she made you a MIXTAPE oh my god that’s HUGE.”

robin, despite being incapacitated by what she had been listening to, was still skeptical. “i mean i dunno she probably makes them all the time-“

steve groaned at robins denial, “jESUS robin, what are the songs?”

“i’m like, three songs in and-“ robin paused, unsure of how to explain. 

“and what?” steve looked at her expectantly

robin hesitated, “they’re all, love songs kind of ?”  
she looked at him hesitantly

before steve’s eyes could get any wider and he could cut her off, robin continued,

“but it’s becca, you know, they’re vague, and she’s probably thinking about the instrumentals or whatever and-“

steve looked at her like she was crazy, “oh my god SHUT UP. WHAT ARE THE SONGS?”

robin sighed, “so far it’s been  
femme fatale by the velvet underground  
ask by the smiths  
and age of consent by new order”

steve looked at her blankly  
“ok, you’re going to have to play this on the speakers cause i have no idea what the hell youre saying”

robin rolled her eyes , “that’s cause you’re a yuppie, dingus”

steve glared at her, “just play the gay mixtape, ok” 

robin glared at him, but knowing she wasn’t going to be able to get her best friend to drop it, she got up to put the cassette in the stores stereo. 

for the next 45 minutes robin and steve listened to the entirety of the mixtape, only being interrupted by customers a few times. 

when a new song came on that had lyrics aimed towards a female love interest, steve would look over at her and say “robin-“ as if his point was being proven each time. 

it went on long enough and happened so frequently that robin almost started to hope he was right. 

the rest of the playlist was as follows:  
this must be the place (naïve melody) by the talking heads  
dreaming by blondie  
ever fallen in love (with someone you shouldn’t have) by the buzzcocks  
you really got me by the kinks  
she’s not there by the zombies  
good friend by the violent femmes  
i would die 4 u by prince  
bette davis eyes by kim carnes  
brass in pocket by the pretenders  
and finally, crimson and clover, the joan jett cover 

“robin it’s the JOAN JETT VERSION OF THAT 60S SONG. she’s practically spelling it out for you! this is the most unrequited female attraction mix i have ever listened to!”

“this is the ONLY thing of the sort you’ve ever listened to” 

robin didn’t know why she kept denying to herself there was a possibility that becca could like her. maybe she was being realistic. or maybe she was just too used to being silently rejected by all the girls she had ever had feelings for, and she was waiting for that moment with becca. 

but those songs seemed pretty gay

robin couldn’t help but think it. some of them could be passed off as just good tracks that happened to be about a girl, but some were pretty obvious. 

like “good friend”, what the hell was becca trying to get at with that?

if only you could know, how i love you so  
the way good friends do, the way i would you

but still- maybe becca was just excited the violent femmes finally made a song that she could play over the speakers in the store without anyone complaining. 

robin tried to explain this to steve, but he wasn’t having any of it

“that is completely bullshit. also you’re basically having a late night date tonight, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to finally make a move.”

robin instantly became defensive, “steve that’s not what-“

“oh it’s not a date?”

he was over her denial, robin could tell, “it’s- we’re just watching a special on mtv,  
that’s it”

steve shook his head in annoyance, “robin, i swear if you don’t at least consider making a move tonight, i’ll never speak to you again.”

“finally!” she said sarcastically as he sent her a middle finger. 

but robin knew steve was right. she needed to do something. she couldn’t keep going on like this, it was too stressful not knowing. 

it was 10:55 and robin was climbing out of her window to meet becca down the street. 

she had spent forever deciding on what to wear, but finally gave up and put on a band sweatshirt and a colorful windbreaker with simple jeans and converse after she remembered how cold it got at night. 

robin walked down the street and waited at the agreed spot nervously. 

she had been up for hours, and was a mix of sleep deprived and wired with energy for the night, and as she waited, she anxiously checked her watch. 

11:03

right as robin sighed she saw headlights slowly approaching and becca pulled up to her 

“need a ride?” she asked as robin got into the car. 

robin buckled her seatbelt (because safety), “yeah, it’s cold as hell out here, hurry up”

becca laughed as they began to drive off.  
the blonde girl had on wire glasses and was wearing a lavender cable sweater under an oversized jean jacket. she also looked exhausted, but in that moment robin thought becca had never looked more beautiful. 

she had no idea of knowing that becca was thinking the exact same thing. 

becca was the first one to break the comfortable silence, “you mind if i turn music on?”

robin nodded enthusiastically, “yeah go for it”

becca reached over and pressed play on the tape she had in her cassette player.  
one of the songs from the mix she made robin came on, ask by the smiths

so if there’s something you’d like to try  
ask me i wont say no, how could i 

“i just was listening to this,” robin looked over to becca and she saw the girl try to hide a proud smile. 

“so you really did listen to it!” becca said excitedly, “did you like it?

robin nodded, “yeah, it’s great-“

she paused and looked out the window, thinking of what to say next as the smiths tape continued to play 

she looked back over to becca and asked hesitantly, “what made you pick the songs?”

as the car pulled into the parking lot, becca turned to look at robin. 

“some of them i just thought sounded cool, you know,” she explained

robin deflated a bit, but seeing her reaction becca continued,

“and then some of them,”

she looked at robin for a bit, clearly unsure of what to say. 

“i dont know,” she said quickly and looked at her watch “we should probably get inside if we don’t want to miss the show.”

and with that becca quickly got out of the car and walked to unlock the store, with robin slowly sighing and walking behind her. 

of course, robin thought, she was reading into nothing,  
she just needed to watch some tv and try not to think about it. 

as the two girls got settled inside the dark store, becca brought in a few pillows and blankets for them. as she set them up, robin internally screamed at how close they’d be. 

becca seemed to notice robins look of physical anxiety and questioned her,

“what?”

robin just looked at her, wide eyed, and attempted to save herself, “oh, i uh, i have snacks”

becca grabbed a six pack of beer from the fridge behind the counter and held them up to robin as she waggled her eyebrows,  
“and i have drinks” 

she handed one to robin as the two of them settled into their makeshift floor bed opposite the tv that had been moved to sit on top of a chair. 

they were close.  
really close

so close their legs were practically tangled.  
robin tried to keep her heart from beating too erratically as they watched the show. 

the only way robin finally was able to get herself to calm down, however, was to drink multiple beers. 

becca also had a fair amount of alcohol.  
neither of the girls were really drunk per se, but their walls were down enough that becca had her head on robins shoulder and she had leaned into it without thought. 

at one point on the tv some punk artist being interviewed told the vj that they “didn’t think their music should be played with like, total eclipse of the heart bullshit”. 

robin laughed, remembering her moment with steve in the bathroom, and said without thinking, “i dont mind that song actually, it reminds me of tammy thompson.”

becca sat up and sent a judgement look towards robin 

robin questioned, “what?”

the blonde just shook her head and laid back down, this time with a bit more space between her and robin 

robin was confused, “what do you have against bonnie tyler?” she sat up to look at becca, who was glaring at her 

“you know for being one of the smartest people i’ve ever met, you really can be a, what’s that word you call steve? a dingus?”

robin just looked at becca puzzled 

she continued, “yeah, you can be a real dingus sometimes buckley” 

robin just looked at becca blankly, “i dont know what you’re talking about.” 

she rolled her eyes, “maybe you should ask tammy thompson. i bet she has cable and could make you a great bonnie tyler mixtape”

with that becca got up from the ground and walked away from robin, who quickly followed her. 

“becks wait-“

she didn’t know what becca was getting at.  
unless? she couldn’t be- jealous? no, of course she’s not. 

“no, robin,” becca turned around to dejectedly face the taller girl, “i’m done waiting.”

“what do you mean?”

“fuck tammy thompson is what i mean” 

robin just stood in front of becca, confused, she had no idea what to say. 

the younger girl took a deep breath and continued,  
“two and a half years- since we were at marching band rehearsal, and you forgot to lock the slide on your trombone and it came flying off and hit chris anderson in the back of the head. that’s how long i’ve been waiting for you to notice me.”

robins eyes widened in shock, “i-“

“no, i’m not done,” becca quickly cut her off once again and robin shut her mouth 

“you barely knew i existed till this year, because all you were focused on was goddam tammy thompson. and her shitty perm, and her shitty music taste, and her shitty singing voice.”

becca shook her head and nervously ran her fingers through her hair, looking at the ground,  
“and back then, you know, i didnt know why it bothered me so much. why i didnt just try and talk to you like i would anyone else, but- i couldn’t.”

robin was floored, “but, you dated randy davis-“

becca put her face in her hands in frustration

“yeah, i know. i mean i dont, i mean-“ 

she sighed, “i went by starcourt one day over the summer and saw you and harrington laughing. it was before i knew he was actually pretty cool, and around that time randy started talking to me.”  
becca continued, more to herself at this point than robin, “i liked him, you know, i really did, i mean, until i realized he was an idiot, but, i really liked him. and then i broke up with him, and everything was cool.”

she paused and looked at robin with a pained expression,

“and then you started coming in here. and i got excited. and stuff started to make more sense, ya know.”  
she sighed in frustration, “i made that mix for you after the third time you came in. i fucking joined jazz band, robin!” 

robin could tell becca was rambling at this point, like all her repressed feelings were finally making themselves known and she couldn’t stop, 

“i lied to the director as soon as i found out they needed someone! i cant fucking read bass clef! i’ve been freaking out this whole week trying to figure it out! and i hate jazz! and-“

robin had heard enough. she grabbed becca and pressed their lips together. 

becca was frozen at first, still mid breakdown, but soon melted into robin and returned it with fervor. 

the kiss deepened, with becca’s hands making their way around robins neck and robin running her hands though the blondes hair, as they released every unsaid moment into each other. 

finally the two separated, having to catch their breaths, and becca just looked at robin, stunned, with her eyes dark and lips slightly parted, and had no words. 

“i didnt know how else to get you to shut up,”  
robin laughed and dipped her head, her heart beating a thousand miles a second, and her brain still trying to process everything becca had just told her. 

becca seemed to blink out of her haze, and said with her voice cracking slightly, “oh, you can- you can shut me up anytime you’d like”

the two girls looked at each other and burst out into laughter. robin reached out to intertwine her hands with becca’s with a glint in her eyes 

“you know, i can teach you how to read bass clef,”

becca looked at robin incredulously, “THATS what you got out of all that?” she backed up and jumped up on the counter, putting her arms around the brunettes neck. 

“yeah,” robin said suggestively as she leaned in and put her hands on either side of becca on the counter,  
“i’m a great teacher”

right as their lips were about to meet becca pushed robin away,

“WAIT”

“what?” robin looked at her worriedly, had she done something wrong? did she misread signals?

“hold on,” becca jumped down and went to the back to rummage around until robin heard music start to play. 

i  
i dont hardly know her  
but i think i could love her  
crimson and clover

becca emerged from the back and resumed her position on the counter and looked at robin, smiling, “ok, now we’re good,” she said and leaned into robin, connecting their lips for the second time that night. 

as the kiss deepened, robin felt becca’s hands leave her neck as the drums in the song began to play louder. 

robin pulled away slightly and smirked, “are you doing the drum fill behind me while we’re making out?”

becca slowly placed her hands back on robins neck, and had the courtesy to look a bit embarrassed even as she smiled,

“maybe,”

robin just laughed at the cheesy idiot and shook her head as she went back to kissing the most wonderful girl she had ever met. 

she wondered how she got so lucky to have this girl care about her as much as she did. soon robin would let her know that she felt all the same ways becca told her she did, and more. 

but for now she just kissed becca, in the static glow of mtv that was playing long forgotten in the background, the two of them content in the place that brought them together, with the music playing that would go on to cement them forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well there it is kiddos! i might do an epilogue or something but who knows. 
> 
> notes: 
> 
> so the playlist is mostly accurate to when this took place in my mind, which is like february of 86. the only song that actually wouldn’t have come out yet would be ask by the smiths, which wasn’t released as a single until october of 86. for that discrepancy i sincerely apologize, but i thought it fit really well, so fuck it. 
> 
> and yes, becca has been a confused bisexual in love with robin since her freshman year, who listens to copious amounts of music to deal with her angst. this is 100% projection. 
> 
> i know not all the songs are from the 80s or whatever, but these are edgy alternative teens, so u bet ur ass they’re listening to some oldies if they feel too cool for modern music. 
> 
> also i’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again, joan jett (mainly joan jetts cover of crimson and clover) is a gays only event and should be made into our national anthem 
> 
> good friend by the violent femmes is one of the only songs they’ve ever released that i can put on in public and not have people yell at me for it, but it’s also pretty fucking gay. so double the stars on that bad boy. 
> 
> robin being in constant denial and oblivious to anyone’s feelings about her is a character trait i have 100% decided is fact and will be contacting the stranger things writers about immediately. 
> 
> thank u for ur time


End file.
